


The Hunter and the Hunted

by cedalodon



Series: The Hunter and the Hunted [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Blood and Violence, F/M, Minor Character Death, Monsters, Werecats
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:41:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 6,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27544006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cedalodon/pseuds/cedalodon
Summary: Marinette was pretty confident in her skills as a hunter. But it seems she has met her match.(The perfect match for her)Big thank you to elsie_noir for Beta reading.  You were a great help, definitely go check out her works as well, they're gold. <3
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: The Hunter and the Hunted [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2023354
Comments: 42
Kudos: 66





	1. The huntress

**Chapter 1 - The huntress**

Carriage rides suck, so hard. Marinette would much rather fly, flying was way better. Her butt did not hurt after flying. Alas, flying was not an option.

According to the rules, she was only allowed to fly in absolute emergencies. If Alya found out that she had been flying without permission, and Alya would, there would be hell to pay. And so, Marinette was stuck riding in this very uncomfortable carriage for the next few hours until they reached their destination instead of opening her elytra and spreading her wings.

But, it couldn’t be helped. Monsters had ravaged and pillaged the lands for as long as anyone could remember, killing and slaughtering without discrimination, and monster hunters had been around just as long, fighting to keep the people safe.

And then there were hybrids.

Hybrids were new. Hybrids were mysterious. Hybrids were dangerous.

Or so anyone thought, but as a hybrid herself, Marinette knew that this was not necessarily true. No one knew where they came from or how they came to be, but most people would put hybrids into the same category as monsters out of sheer fear.

So it was better to not announce the fact that she was one such hybrid openly..  
Although at times she really wished she could. But, she had to act responsible; as the first hybrid to ever register as a hunter, she had to set an example. Many eyes were watching her.

“We’ve arrived!” The coachman called as the carriage came to a halt.

Marinette emitted a sigh of relief. She could finally leave this wooden bench; her butt hurt.  
All she wanted to do right now was to go to the nearest inn and rent a room to rest, but she couldn’t. There were rules.

It may not be the most classy or fancy of organisations. Gods know the merchant guilds were decorated and posh as all hell, but the hunter organisation was nothing if not organised. One would think the organisation would be a bunch of hunters that just drink all day and hunt down monsters once in a while, and part of that may be true, but there were well organised procedures, protocols, and plans. After a job is done, a report must be written and everything.

So, her first order of business was visiting the mayor's office, introducing herself and finding out anything she can about the situation.

The mayor, a round old man in his fifties with grey hair, informed her of the situation.  
A few days ago they had heard concerning noises from a mansion that stood just outside of the town borders. Screams and howling could be heard throughout the entire town according to the mayor.  
The man who lived there was an eccentric tailor, with bad demeanour, but his work was renowned throughout the continent, and he was a great boon to the town's income. No one had seen him since, and the mayor was getting worried. She did not ask whether he was worried about the man or the town's finances. Although her guess was the latter.

So, her job now was to investigate the manor, find out what happened and drive off any beast that may be in there. Of course, looking for survivors was also one of her tasks… but she wasn't very hopeful on that front, as it had been a few days after all.

The sun was still high in the sky thanks to driving all night long, so Marinette decided to quickly run through her equipment before making her way to the manor, a careless hunter is a dead hunter, or so Alya liked to say. Alya may be a little over the top, but she wasn’t wrong and so Marinette always made sure she had everything she may need.

Potions? Check.

Heavy Silver Chains? Check.

Incense in case of a spirit? Check.

Spellbook? Check.

Fireproof mantle? Check.

Firebombs? Check.

Her Mother's amulet? Check.

The amulet was not part of the standard issue hunter equipment, but it was always comforting to have, and it was also made entirely out of the highest quality silver.  
So, she could swing it around if she had to.

Of course, silver did not work on every monster out there, mainly things like ghosts, spirits and werewolves along with a few others.

Still, many hunters, such as herself had equipment made out of silver. Marinette had a standard issue silver sword strapped to her hip as well. It worked well on monsters and humans if need be. She never had to use it on humans before, but you never know.

After going through her equipment, Marinette wrote a quick report in her notebook in case she went missing, leaving every bit of information she had gathered so far. It was also standard procedure, but this one always made her feel on edge. These could be her last words, she thought as she wrote. .

Afterward, she left the report and most of her luggage in the room the mayor had granted her for the duration of her stay, taking only the essentials with her, and made her way to the manor.

The sun was setting on the horizon already as she reached the main door.

Marinette was getting nervous.


	2. The hunter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy this chapter.

**Chapter 2 - The hunter**

Pain. There was always pain. Only pain. 

Pain and hatred. 

Hatred for the man who did this to him. What did he ever do?

He’d been in this room for as long as he could remember, these stone walls the only world he knew. The cold stone floor the only bed he had ever slept on. 

He didn’t get many visitors in this prison of his. A few servants brought him food, if you could call it that. Only ever the Master. 

The servants called him Master, so he did too. He didn’t know his own name, but one thing he knew, the Master was cruel.

The Master would beat him and whip him almost everyday. Once he asked why the Master did so. “Need you ask, Monster?!” was the Master's reply. 

Once he had fought back, only once. The Master had channelled his magic faster than he could blink, and the pain and torture that followed was unlike anything he had ever experienced before.

That day the servants had put him in these chains. Heavy silver chains that hung from the stone walls, one for each arm and one for each leg. The chains burned. Every second of every minute of every hour of every day the chains burned his skin. 

He wanted out, he wanted to leave this prison, he wanted to rip the Master to pieces, and his drasted servants along with him. He wanted… he wanted.

‘You want out?’

There was a voice in his head. Why was there a voice in his head? Who did that voice belong to?

_ ‘You may call me… uhm… Plagg. Call me Plagg, although we won’t be together for long.’ _ Plagg spoke into his head.  _ ‘So, do you want out or not?’ _

“Yes.” The boy spoke. 

_ ‘Great.’ _ Plagg sounded cheerful.  _ ‘What’s your name kid?’ _

“....Monster. I am Monster,” He replied weakly.

_ ‘That can’t be right. Do you have another name?’ _

“No.”

_ ‘Well everyone needs a name. I’ll just call you Adrien. You okay with that Adrien?’ _

Plagg waited for a reply but nothing came. When it was clear that he wouldn’t get one out of the boy, Plagg continued on.

_ ‘Okay kid, Adrien. I need you to do what I tell you. Now, focus. Look within yourself and find your strength.’ _

“What?” Adrien replied dumbly. 

_ ‘Tikki is better at explaining this.’ _ Plagg sighed.  _ ‘Okay, close your eyes and concentrate. What do you want to do kid?’  _

“I want to get out!”

_ ‘Good, focus on that! Focus on what you want. Do you feel  _ **_it’_ **

He did. He felt  **it.**

_ ‘Great, now grab it, fight for it, be greedy and take it all.’ _

He tried, he tried his hardest. But it was like catching smoke with bare hands,  **it** always escaped him right before he had  **it** .

_ ‘You’re doing great, almost got  _ **_it_ ** _!’  _ Plagg encouraged him. 

Adrien tried harder, he grasped  **it** and clutched  **it** close until he could not hold anymore.

_ ‘Great, now speak after me. Cataclysm!’  _ Plagg shouted in his mind.

“Cataclysm!” The boy shouted, and to his utmost surprise, the chains corroded into black ash within mere seconds. His legs gave out under him immediately, and he landed on all fours. 

Heavy breaths escaped his lungs as he tried to regain his strength properly. It had been so long since he last had the freedom to move his arms. Then he took a closer look at himself.

“I- I have fur!” He almost shouted.

_ ‘Yeah.’ _ Plagg stated dully.  _ ‘That happens.’ _

“I’m truly a monster!” Adrien gasped out, horrified at his body's transformation. Gone was his blond hair, his normal human fingers and ears. All replaced by black fur covering his whole body, claws on his hands and feet sharper than a razor's edge, and hypersensitive cat ears that poked up from his head. 

_ ‘You’re not a monster kid. You’re you! That man who has locked you up and did this to you is the monster! _ ’ Plagg soothed the teenager.  _ ‘Adrien, this is your power, your strength, your freedom. It is all yours. So go wild!’ _


	3. Blood Manor

**Chapter 3 - Blood Manor**

Marinette was nervous. 

More so than usual, but most of the time she had Alya by her side when she went into any kind of situation. 

But she had to prove that she could handle herself on her own, so Alya would only be arriving in 3 days time. Long enough for Marinette to get herself killed. 

Not that she was planning on it.

Okay Marinette, snap out of it! You got this!

The girl shook her head, and started to assess the situation.

The door looked to be fine, no signs of forceful entry. Maybe the monster got in through another entry?

The interior, in contrast to the exterior of the manor, was a wreck.

As soon as she opened the door Marinette tumbled backwards and retched. The stench of iron and decomposition flooded her nostrils and her vision went blurry. There was blood everywhere. 

This wasn’t the first time she saw blood, but it was still hard to get used to. Especially this much! 

Marinette took a deep breath and wrapped a small towel over her face to ward off the smell at least a little. Taking one last deep breath Marinette crossed the doorstep and entered what she presumed to be the main hall of the manor.

Broken pieces of furniture were everywhere, claw marks could be seen on the walls, and although there was a lot of blood, there were no bodies. 

Marinette took time to investigate the room. Judging by the claw marks on the walls and their positions, the monster was about 2-3 meters in height, still small enough to fit through a door. 

It dragged the bodies away for some reason; maybe it was feeding something?

Monsters were known to hunt humans specifically in order to feed their young. 

Marinette hoped it wasn’t a nest, that would be bothersome. 

She drew her sword. All signs were hinting at a were-class monster, likely a werewolf. Whilst werewolves were fearsome, Marinette could take one in a fair fight with her current equipment. It would be close, but she could handle a werewolf.

By the looks of it they seemed to be quite young, which was good. 

Of course, werewolves often travel in packs. But, those packs preferred to stay away from towns and instead hunt in the forests for game other than humans, ones that didn't put up a big fight. Of course sometimes a werewolf would get lost, and while searching for the pack, come across humans. 

If it was a single wolf, she could handle it, however, if it was a pack she would have to wait for backup. 

There was a chance it wasn’t a werewolf, though. Werecougar and hyena were a thing, although they were rather rare and not quite as strong. They were more commonly found around towns than wolves, so that may be it.

Whatever it is, Marinette had to investigate, subjugate if possible, and return to town to wait for Alya’s arrival. 

Marinette decided to start on the first floor and save the second for later. Her sword still drawn and on edge, Marinette entered the kitchen area or what was left of it.

Here too there was blood, claw marks, and the stench of death. Yet missing any corpses. 

The kitchen did not give any additional insights that she hadn’t had before. Neither did the other rooms on the first floor, so she decided to climb the stairs. 

There wasn’t much to be found upstairs either, a few bedrooms, supply closets, and other facilities for servants and such. She sighed as she entered what looked to be some form of office. There ought to have been something here.

Now, going through someone else's papers was usually considered to be a bad thing, but it may give her an insight on what happened here, so she had to check. 

The office was a disappointment for the most part, half finished designs, bills, and other household manifests. The one thing that caught her attention was a receipt from a local butcher. 

It made sense that a man who lived in a manor such as this could afford to eat meat every day. But this was a lot of meat! Did he allow meat for the servants too? Must have been a generous man. 

Although the meat may be what attracted the monster. 

Marinette was about to leave when suddenly she stepped on something, there was a squish, and Marinette lost her balance, falling forward right into a bookshelf. Ouch.

The girl tried to get a hold of anything to regain her balance and grabbed onto the shelf, activating a hidden lever at the same time.

The shelf moved to the side and gave way to a set of stone stairs that lead downward. Curious.

Once Marinette got back on her feet, she inspected the stairs. They had to lead somewhere. 

She decided to go down for two reasons, one being that anyone with a secret staircase has something to hide, and secondly, the fact that the monster had not shown itself. Even though she checked the entire house, it was making her nervous.

The sun was setting on the horizon and if Marinette had checked what she had just slipped on, she would have found a hairball. Like one a cat leaves as a reminder of its presence, except that this one was enormous. 

Maybe, if she had checked, she would have been prepared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I only planned on uploading one chapter today. But, it's a good friends birthday.   
> Happy Birthday savethetreees! You're an amazing friend and I'm very glad to have met you.


	4. Intruder

**Chapter 4 - Intruder**

_ Who is this Person? _

_ What are they doing here? _

_ What to they want? _

He doesn’t like it. This person just showed up and was walking around his house. Should he scare them off? He probably should. 

But is showing himself really the best option? Hide maybe? Hiding would work.

It’s not like they would find the hidden rooms. He didn’t want to go back there, but if they did not find anything, they would probably just leave. 

Yeah, hiding was the best option here. 

After watching them for a while longer he decided to go to the hidden rooms. 

He just had to wait it out. It would be fine. They won’t find him.

  
  


\------

  
  
  


He could hear the entrance to the hidden rooms open. He remembered hearing it whenever the Master came. The sound always heralded pain for him. 

He would hide for a little longer. 

Maybe they would just leave.

  
  


\------

They didn’t leave. 

They kept searching.

It won’t be long before they find something.

He had to scare them off. 


	5. Cellar

**Chapter 5 - Cellar**

  
  
  


The scent of death became stronger the further down she went, and she had a good guess as to why. 

There was dried blood on the stairs as well. But this was different. It looked like something had dragged the bodies down the stairs and further into the cellar. 

The stairs ended in a long corridor with multiple doors along either side. The blood tracks led her to the very end. 

Marinette wasn’t fooling herself, she was scared. 

Not that fear was a bad thing. “Fear keeps you on edge, makes sure you don’t drop your guard.” She could hear Alya’s voice in her head. 

“Thanks Al.” She mumbled to herself as she checked one room after the next. Nothing.

Finally at the end of the corridor, there were 3 doors left. 

Marinette tightened her grip on the sword. No avoiding it now. 

She turned the handle on the first door and pushed it open. 

Tools. Many, many tools. Hanging from the walls, the ceiling, and lining the shelves. 

It looked like all of these tools were made for torture. She could see whips and knives and shackles and other tools she couldn’t even comprehend uses for. 

It was horrifying.

“What happened here?” She whispered to herself, her voice shaking a little. She couldn’t afford to think about it. She had to be careful; there were only 2 rooms left where the monster could be hiding. She didn't want to get caught off guard.

Next was the opposite door. After opening it, Marinette quickly realised that this was the torture room. 

The stench of urine greeted her once she entered the chamber. 

There were chains hanging from the walls and attached to the floor. 

The room was bare except for what looked like human feces. 

Marinette couldn’t help but pull a face; it was disgusting. 

Then she noticed something. The crumbled remains of-

“Silver chains?” Why would they use silver chains unless.... no!

Yes. Yes they did. 

These people locked up a monster and tortured it for gods know how long. 

Monsters may be dangerous beasts, but they were still animals! Some even had intelligence like humans! This kind of cruelty was beyond her. Why would anyone do this?

The chains were partially corroded, enough so that whatever they had chained up could escape. If the monster had corroded these chains himself, then it couldn’t be from the were-class. 

Were-class Monsters did not have acid. Insect-class most likely, she thought. 

But those claw marks were left by a were-class; she was sure of that. 

Were there 2 monsters? Did they work together? Against each other? Did she walk right into a turf war?

“Only one way to find out.”

Marinette made her way to the last door, the one to which all of the blood led. 


	6. Bloody Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They meet. Shit's about to get real!

**Chapter 6 - Bloody Hell**

  
  


Bloody hell.

That was the only way to describe it. One. Bloody. Hell.

Bodies upon bodies upon bodies lay on a huge pile in the middle of the room. 

Fluids were still flowing out of some of the bodies as flies and rats feasted on the flesh of the dead. Foam had already started to build on the mouth and nose, indicating the bodies had been here for a few days. 

Marinette vomited. 

She thought she’d be prepared for it. She wasn’t.

The blood, the smell, the noises of the rats squeaking happily. 

It was all too much. 

What a great hunter she was. 

After her lunch had joined the bodies on the floor, Marinette regained her senses. She had to get out. There was nothing she could do here. She couldn’t save the people here. 

She was about to turn for the door when a low growl stopped her in her tracks. 

It was behind her. Right. In. Her. Neck.

Her body began shaking against her will and every bone in her body demanded she run. Get away. Survive somehow.

Survival instinct pushed fear aside and took over. Marinette turned on the spot and swung her sword. A clash, a howl, and Marinette took a step back to get a good look at her opponent. 

Oh, it was a were-class alright. Not a cougar nor a hyena, though. And not a werewolf either.

“A werecat.” Marinette whispered in ever growing terror. 

Werecats. The most ferocious of all were-class beasts. They were powerful, merciless hunters that only saw others as prey. They hunted alone, which might give the impression that they were easier to deal with than werewolves. But, that impression is wrong.

A single werecat could easily take on a whole pack of werewolves and walk away without a scratch. 

Werecats were known to attack towns and even some smaller cities, leaving nothing but a trail of death in their wake. 

This was the end.

There was no way to escape. She was trapped in here. Her silver sword must have looked like a toothpick to this monster.

This was the end.

The werecat was blocking the only exit and soon she would join the bodies behind her. 

This was the end.


	7. The hunter and the hunted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the hunt begins!

**Chapter 7 - The hunter and the hunted**

The person found the bodies. They found the Master and the servants. 

He had stored them here, as deep inside the house as possible. 

But they had been found, as had he. 

He could smell the fear in the person. Good, he thought, They would run now. They would run and so would he, and they would never meet again. 

Now he just had to scare her off. 

He growled, a sound more threatening than he meant, but it did the job. The person turned around and swung their sword at him. It hit his shoulder but bounced off of his fur. No surprise there. 

He growled again and started crawling towards her slowly. There was no need to hurry. He wanted to give her a chance to escape, that was the whole point. 

But the person just froze. 

Maybe he had overdone it a bit?

Then they moved.

If they had just run past him, that would have been great. They would have left, he would have left, and both would be happier. Instead, they pulled out a small container and threw it in his face.

Annoying. 

Then the container made a shrill noise. He looked from the container to the person who was now cowering beneath their cape. The container beeped and exploded, throwing him off his feet and burning his fur. 

He could make out how the person got up and made a run for it, using his disorientation to their advantage. 

It hurts. It hurts It hurts IT HURTS!

His mind, deranged from the pain of the firebomb, saw the fleeing back of the person as they reached the stairs and only thought one thing.

Prey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a terrible cliffhanger... Welp! See you guys tomorrow. :D
> 
> Nah, this one's kind of short, so imma post the next one right away.


	8. Lucky Charm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading this far. I hope you enjoy yourself!

**Chapter 8 - Lucky Charm**

Shit. 

Shit shit shit!

A werecat! Why a werecat!?

Anything would have been better than a werecat. 

Marinette had dropped her sword as well as her backpack. She couldn’t afford to be weighed down right now. She had to run as fast as her legs could carry her.

She dropped her cape too, freeing up her back.

Fly. Need to fly!

She made it up the stairs to the entrance hall. There was the door. 

She opened her elytra. Unfurled her wings. 

The door was still open, but she could hear the yowling of the werecat behind her. It was so close.

Running out the door and immediately flapping her wings, she took off. Higher and higher she went until-

Something grabbed her ankle. 

Marinette barely had time to realize what had happened when she saw a fur covered hand wrapped around her leg, and she was pulled downward and slammed into the ground. 

It was over.

This was the end. 

**  
  
**

\------

He had them.

It was bothersome to chase them down after they had such a head start, but he was far faster than them. Now they lay beneath him, a mess of bruises and fractured wings. How satisfying to see his prey at the end of their strength. 

Time to end this.

**  
  
**

\------

**  
  
**

Marinette could feel the monster's hot, wet breath on the back of her neck. 

This was it.

“I’m sorry Alya, Mama, Papa. I’m so sorry,” Marinette mumbled, tears running down her face.

She felt a huge paw press down on her back, hurting her wings even more. A sharp claw dug into her neck. It was enjoying this, she realised; it was drawing this out. 

_ ‘Calm down Marinette’ _ A voice in her head... of course. 

Now she’s going mad.

_ ‘You’re not going mad. I’m Tikki, remember me?’ _

Tikki? ...Tikki…. TIKKI!   
  
Tikki the messenger of the gods who was sent to her! That Tikki? 

_ ‘Yes, that’s me. Listen Marinette, you need to do something, right now.’ _

_ ‘Kinda busy at the moment’ _ Marinette thought back.

_ ‘No time to explain. Remember how I taught you about your powers?’ _

_ ‘How could I forget?’ _ It was years ago, but Marinette remembered like it was yesterday. The day that she had been told she would be the goddesses champion and that she would one day be bestowed a grand task of some sort. 

Tikki said she would come when the time was right. 

Was this the time? Now of all times?

_ ‘Collect your magic Marinette’ _ Tikki instructed. Marinette did as she was told, not that it was of any use. 

Even if she could do magic like some of her mage friends, a fireball or lightning wouldn’t do much in her current predicament.

_ ‘Good, now release your magic and speak after me. Lucky Charm!’ _

The werecat opened its jaws to sink its teeth into her neck. 

With her last strength she released her magic and said, “Lucky Charm.” She wanted to say it out loud, but it only came out as a whisper. 

Now, without any magic left in her, Marinette’s world went dark and her eyelids closed. 

She didn’t expect to wake again.


	9. Transformation

**_Chapter 9 - Transformation_ **

  
  


He had them.

He had her directly underneath himself. 

He pressed a paw on their back and put some of his weight on it, pressing them down into the dirt. He liked it. He liked being the hunter; he enjoyed smashing his prey into the ground. He had overpowered her and it was intoxicating. He put his nose near her neck and inhaled deeply.

The scent of fear, the hopelessness of their situation. They had stopped moving entirely, giving up.

Then it hit him. His prey was a girl. 

How had he not realised that before? He put his nose close to her again and inhaled deeply. She smelled sweet and soft, and it was all so calming.

For a second he almost forgot his position. 

The scent of fear washed over him again, and his instinct told him to end this game. He opened his jaw and was ready. Ready to end the life of his prey. But just as he was about to snap her neck she started mumbling to herself. 

“Lucky Charm.”

Adrien felt a wave of magic explode from her frail body, and for a second he thought she had lit another one of those canisters. 

But the pain he expected never came.

The magic washed over him and every muscle in his body relaxed. His mind was calm, no longer filled with thoughts of hunting and killing. His mind was at peace.

He looked down at the girl who was now lying still on the dirt, her back barely moving, indicating that she was still alive. Then he was his paw. The paw that rested on her back mere moments ago was now-

“A hand?” Adrien gasped in shock. He looked down at himself, his true self. 

His chest, his arms, his legs, and everything else was back to normal. He was a human again. 

How?

He looked down at the girl and gasped. What had he done?

_ ‘Calm down Adrien. I know you’re in shock, but right now you have to save her,’  _ Plagg spoke into his head again. He hadn’t for days. It was comforting to know that Plagg was watching. And creepy.

“Right!” Adrien agreed. He got up and slowly, carefully lifted the girl into his arms and turned toward the house making especially sure not to damage her wings any further than he already had. 

He returned to the manor and made his way towards a room, one that was not covered in blood, preferably. 


	10. Messenger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter you've been waiting for. I hope you enjoy it as much as the others! 
> 
> Tomorrow will be the last chapter of The Hunter and the Hunted, sad. 
> 
> But! It's not gonna be the end! Part 2 is already written and will start on Monday. So you can look forwards to that.  
> I also have another surprise for you tomorrow that you can look forward to. 
> 
> Not gonna tell you what it is though. You'll just have to wait and see.
> 
> Enough talk, enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 10 - Messenger**

  
  


_ ‘Good morning, Marinette.’ _

‘Where am I?’ was the first thing she thought. Marinette looked around; she was on a bed, Everything around here was white. She couldn’t tell how long the room was or if it even had walls. 

_ ‘You are probably disoriented right now. Don’t worry, everything is alright.’ _

“I’m dead,” Marinette stated, a hand grasping at her still heart.

_ ‘What? No you’re-’  _

“I’m dead!”

_ ‘...Marinette.’ _

“I’m dead and I failed and I couldn’t complete the mission of the goddess because I died before I even tried.”

_ ‘Marinette!’ _ Tikki raised her voice to snap the girl out of it.  _ ‘You’re not dead. This is a dream. I contacted you within your dreams. You’re alive and well.’  _

Marinette looked up. “Tikki?”

_ ‘Nice to finally meet you in person.’ _ The messenger of the gods smiled warmly. 

“I’m alive?”

_ ‘Yeah.’ _

“But my heart?!”

_ ‘Time does not flow here, ergo your heart's not beating. It’s alright, you will be fine once you wake up.’ _

“Oh.” Was all she could say to that. “What about…

_ ‘The werecat? He’s fine too.’ _ Tikki proclaimed with a smile. That did nothing to calm Marinette down. 

“So I failed.” She sighed. The entire town was probably dead by now.

_ ‘No, you did everything you could and everything that was expected of you. You did well, you saved him.’ _

“Saved him? Saved whom? the werecat is alive, he’s gonna kill people he-”

_ ‘He won’t be doing any of that.’  _ Tikki soothed.  _ ‘Let me explain.’ _

Marinette sat up. She knew when Tikki talked she had better pay attention.

_ ‘That monster you found is not in fact a wild animal. He’s a hybrid, just like you.’  _ Tikki must have seen the look of confusion on Marinette's face as she continued.  _ ‘He is a hybrid between a werecat and a boy. A poor boy who has never had a happy moment in his entire life.’ _

Marinette frowned, and Tikki elaborated.  _ ‘You saw the torture chamber, the instruments they used on him.’ _

“Great. So what now? It’s just okay that he hunted me down?!” Marinette pointed at her back. “My wings hurt. I don’t even know how bad my wings are damaged and I doubt I can fix them!” Marinette loved her wings.

_ ‘No it’s not okay, but you hurt him too, Marinette.’ _

Marinette scoffed, then quickly slapped her hands over her mouth and looked up at Tikki in panic. One does not scoff at a messenger of the goddess.

But Tikki just chuckled and sat down beside her charge.  _ ‘Say it Marinette, I don’t ever want you to be afraid of talking to me.’ _ _  
_ _  
_ “How could I have possibly hurt him?” Marinete asked.

_ ‘That firebomb, or maybe the sword that you hit him with…. no mostly the firebomb.’ _ Tikki chuckled. 

“Oh,” Marinette hadn’t even considered that. 

_ ‘Anyway,’ _ Tikki continued on,  _ ‘You did great. Your Lucky Charm managed to fully cancel out his Cataclysm and both of you are fine.’ _

Marinette threw another look over her shoulder at her broken and twisted wings. “This isn’t fine.”

‘Ah I’ll fix those. No worries.’ Tikki just shrugged it off.  _ ‘But now Marinette.’  _ Tikki gripped the girl's hands in both of hers, rubbing her thumb soothingly across Marinette’s palm.  _ ‘You have waited for quite some time for this, but the time has finally come. The goddess has a mission for you.’ _

Marinette straightened her back and listened sharply. This is it. This is what she had been waiting for for all of those years. Her mission.

_ ‘Protect the boy.’ _ _  
_ _  
_ “What!?” No, this couldn’t be. Tikki must be joking.

_‘I assure you, this is no joke Marinette.’_ Tikki chuckled at the face of utter disbelief Marinette was making. _‘You are to take care of him and make sure that he is on his best behaviour.’_   
  
“You can’t be serious! He tried to kill me!” Marinette got up. A bad idea, as the white world began swirling around her and Tikki had to get up to support her until she was back on the bed.

_ ‘I admit, he was running wild, but Plagg’s chosen do that at times. The point is, you are the only one who can help him, Marinette. You did it once already. Your Lucky Charm is powerful enough to calm him down.’ _

“Oh, so he’s not a wild monster anymore? Well that’s just great. I’m gonna put a collar on him and take him for walks and ... and feed him and people are just gonna accept that I have a three-meter-big-cat now.” 

Tikki just smiled at her.

“I’m being sarcastic Tikki.” Marinette sighed.

_ ‘Oh, I can never tell.’ _ Tikki chuckled.  _ ‘Trust me Marinette, everything will be fine.’ _ __  
__  
“But-

_ ‘Now now Marinette, I cannot give you all of the answers, some you’ll have to find yourself. Now go back to sleep. You will have to get up soon enough,’ _ Tikki said with a gentle tone of voice, but one that did not permit any argument.

_ ‘Good night, Marinette.’ _

“Good night, Tikki.”


	11. The End of the beginning

**Chapter 11 - The End of the beginning**

“Is she okay?”

_‘Well, you beat the ever living crap out of her, so no.’_ Plagg was back, as sarcastic as ever.

“Not helpful.” Adrien snapped at him. “We need to help her, bandages, alcohol, anything!”

_‘Calm down Kid.’_

“What?”

_‘Look at her.’_

Adrien looked and dropped whatever he had just picked up. The girl was moving. She was waking up. 

He had to do something; she couldn’t see him. He was sure she hated him, she had to. He hunted her down and hurt her. Sure he had tried to fix it, but he had no idea how to heal anyone. 

He remembered the hunt. The speed, the power, the bliss of dominating a weaker creature just because he could. He drew it out, took his sweet time.

And thank the gods for that because somehow, she managed to calm him after a while. And now it was his turn to make sure she would be okay. 

“Who are you?”

Adrien was thrown out of his thought train by a mere sentence, and every muscle in his body was on edge. The girl had gotten up. Oh boy.

Okay, first impressions, very important.

He stretched out his hand for a handshake. “Hi, I’m Adrien. Nice to meet you.” 

The girl looked concerned but took his hand nonetheless. “Marinette. Listen Adrien,” she pulled her hand back. “There’s a monster here somewhere, you have to run.”

Adrien gulped. “About that…”

\------

“It was you?”

“It was me.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I’m so sorry.”

“Wow. So why haven’t you eaten me yet?”

Adrien winced. Why did she have to be so blunt?

“I… try not to eat people.”

“Oh really? You could have fooled me.” Marinette stated sarcastically. 

“Listen, I can’t tell you how sorry I am. I lost control, and when I came to my senses you were already out. I tried to fix it somehow, so I took you inside, but I don’t know where the bandages are and-”

“Adrien!” Marinette grabbed his hand. “Breathe.”

Adrien did as he was told. In and out.

“I have you to thank for this makeshift bandage?” Marinette pointed at her arm. It wasn’t good, but it would do until they reached a healer. 

“I’m so, so sorry Marinette.” Adrien started.

“It’s fine. It could have been a lot worse, besides, Tikki said she’d heal me, so I’ll be fine.”

Adrien had to make sure his jaw didn’t drop. How could anyone be so selfless?

“So.” Marinette filled the silence with the next problem. “What do we tell the people in town?”

Adrien looked at her curiously, his head at an angle.

“I mean,” Marinette elaborated, “we can’t just tell them that you killed all of the people in the manor. You did kill them all, right?”

Adrien looked down in shame. “......yeah,” he mumbled.

“Okay. Are you sorry for doing it?” Marinette asked. She didn’t know why she asked this question, but it was something she wanted to know.

“No,” Adrien replied quietly, his eyes still not moving from the ground. “They deserved it.”

Marinette wanted to argue that point, but then remembered the torture chamber and the room with the tools. Maybe they did.

“Adrien, look at me. It’s gonna be okay. I’m here now. I’ll take care of you”

Adrien froze. 

What?

How? 

Why?

Why would she?

After all he had done to her, why would-?

“Okay. First things first, we need to get back to town. We’ll come up with a cover story on the way.” Marinette tried to stand and failed miserably.

“I might need some help walking back to town,” she sighed. “Do you mind giving me a hand?”

“Sure,” Adrien replied. Then he walked over to her, lifting her from beneath her legs and back princess style.

“What are you doing?”

“Carrying you, obviously.”  
  


“Stop it, I can walk by myself.”

“Nonsense. I can carry you.”

“I don’t want to be carried.”

“Hush now Princess, I’ll take care of you too, just as you said you'd care of me.”

Marinette had no arguments against that. 

Maybe she could relax, just this once?

Although she would later deny any accusations of resting her head against his shoulders. 

  
  
  


* * *

And this is where we’ll stop for now. 

This is The End.

I hope you enjoyed this story so far! it will become a series and part 2 will start tomorrow! 

So I hope you enjoy that just as much as this one!

And now for the surprise I promised yesterday:

elsie_noir, who has beta read every single current and upcoming chapter and helped make this story turn out as wonderful as it did, is not only and amazing beta reader, but also an amazing artist! Thank you so much for all of the help. I could not have done it without you!

Again! Thank you so much Elsie! Go check out her twitter as well: [@NoirElsie](https://twitter.com/NoirElsie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Due to a particular comment I felt like I should include a description of how the magic works in this world.  
> You can read it if you want, it might help you to better understand how the magic in this world works. 
> 
> But I will put a clearly say this now: SPOILER WARNING!  
> Because some of these things are only going to be explained later when they become relevant.
> 
> Magic.  
> There are different types of magic. The main ones, fire, water, earth and wind, are the most commonly used ones. They are also considered the most powerful, and are referred to as ‘human magic’. As humans were the only ones who used them.
> 
> There are other types of magic too. Monster magic for example. A magic to imitate the skills of a monster. What type of beast they imitate and to what extent depends on the user.  
> The magic user, magician , is commonly limited to one magic, in rare cases they could use two. If you weren’t one of the main four then you may never know what type of magic you could use as you had to meet the beast in order to activate it. 
> 
> Hybrids:  
> Very skilled Monster magic users can transform parts of their body into replicas of the monster. One can turn their entire body into a replica of the monster, like Adrien does, but it has drawbacks like the loss of control, but it requires so much strength and training that it is basically unheard of.  
> It was discovered not too long ago and people who use it are often discriminated against. 
> 
> And then there’s godly magic. Anything that could not be placed into either of these categories. Among them was healing magic, time magic, space magic, etc.  
> It’s extremely rare that people awaken to godly magic. These people are often seen as champions of the gods and are viewed as the gods representatives on earth, because only a god can grant that kind of magic.
> 
> Marinette uses Insect magic, she can imitate the skills of any insect type monster she meets as long as she trains for it. Her lucky charm is not part of her insect magic however. It is a god Magic granted to her by the goddess of creation. 
> 
> Adrien uses beast magic. It works on the same concept. His Cataclysm is a gift from the god of destruction.
> 
> Cataclysm is Plagg's gift to Adrien, that's what destroyed the chains. Adrien activated his beast magic when he met Plagg, who is the messenger of the god of destruction, same with Marinette and her wings, she got them after she met tikki. Both of them are exceptional magic users because Marinette was able to maintain her wings for a few years and Adrien turned into a full beast right away.
> 
> Adrien thinks Cataclysm is the activation phrase for his transformation, but it's actually Plagg’s gift and the activation is just a side effect. Claws out being the actual phrase for his transformation.
> 
> I hope this helped in explaining some things. Have a great Sunday everyone. And look forward to Monday (as if). :D

**Author's Note:**

> Big thank you to elsie_noir for beta reading. You made all of this so much better.
> 
> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!  
> I'd love to her anyone's thoughts in the comments.


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